The New York Times said,: “Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and muscular with a fine-tuned sense of dynamics…propulsive rhythms, incendiary performances.” USA Today called him “a zydeco trailblazer.” Buckwheat Zydeco performed with a large number of famous musicians from Eric Clapton (with whom he also recorded) and U2 to the Boston Pops. The band performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics to a worldwide audience of three billion people. Buckwheat performed for President Clinton twice, celebrating both of his inaugurations. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, CNN, The Today Show, MTV, NBC News, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition.
Dural was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He acquired his nickname as a youth, because, with his braided hair, he looked like the character Buckwheat from Our Gang/The Little Rascals movies. His father, a farmer, was an accomplished amateur traditional Creole accordion player, but young Dural preferred listening to and playing rhythm and blues.
Dural became proficient at the organ, and by the late 1950s he was backing Joe Tex, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and many others.
In 1971, he founded Buckwheat & the Hitchhikers, a funk band that he led for five years before switching to zydeco. They were a local sensation and found success with the single, “It’s Hard To Get,” recorded for a local Louisiana-based label.
He began backing Clifton Chenier, one of the most legendary zydeco performers. Though not a traditional zydeco fan when growing up, Buckwheat accepted an invitation in 1976 to join Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist. He quickly discovered the popularity of zydeco music, and marveled at the effect the music had on the audience. “Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music,” Dural says. “I had so much fun playing that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn’t ready to quit.”
Dural's relationship with the legendary Chenier led him to take up the accordion in 1978. After practicing for a year, he felt ready to start his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco. They debuted with One for the Road in 1979 on the Blues Unlimited label and then recorded for New Orleans’ Black Top label. In 1983, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Turning Point and in 1985 for Waitin’ For My Ya Ya after switching to the Rounder Records label. The band then signed to Island Records, becoming the first zydeco act on a major label, and released On a Night Like This, a critically acclaimed album that was nominated for a Grammy as well. The band appeared in the movie The Big Easy in 1987.
In 1988, Eric Clapton invited the band to open his North American tour as well as his 12-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall. As even more doors opened, Buckwheat found himself sharing stages and/or recording with Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, David Hidalgo, Dwight Yoakam, Paul Simon, Ry Cooder, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and many others, including indie music stalwarts Yo La Tengo on the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan bio-pic, I'm Not There. His music has been featured in films including The Waterboy, The Big Easy, Fletch Lives and Hard Target. BET’s show Comic View, used his live version of “What You Gonna Do?” as theme music for the program’s 10th anniversary “Pardi Gras” season. He also wrote and performed the theme music for the PBS television series Pierre Franey’s Cooking In America. Buckwheat won an Emmy for his music in the CBS TV movie, Pistol Pete: The Life And Times Of Pete Maravich.
Buckwheat Zydeco has played many major music festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (numerous times), Newport Folk Festival, Summerfest, San Diego Street Scene, Bumbershoot, Montreux Jazz Festival, the Voodoo Experience, and countless others.
During the 1990s and early 2000s Buckwheat recorded for his own Tomorrow Recordings label and maintained an extensive touring schedule. Buckwheat Zydeco's latest album, Lay Your Burden Down, was released on May 5, 2009 on the Alligator Records label. It was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and included guest appearances by guitarists Warren Haynes and Sonny Landreth, Trombone Shorty, JJ Grey and Berlin himself. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award. Sonicboomers.com says, “The CD is a vastly entertaining and appealingly diverse package. Bandleader Dural remains an ever-engaging vocalist and a whiz on any keyboard he touches. So, for Buckwheat Zydeco fans, Lay Your Burden Down finds the maestro and his group near the top of their form. For listeners with less interest in the ol' accordion get-down, the collection supplies enough interesting wrinkles to get the good times rolling."
Buckwheat’s especially powerful and haunting version of the classic "Cryin' in the Streets" appears on the benefit album for Hurricane Katrina recovery, Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast.
Buckwheat's version of Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy's "When the Levee Breaks" appeared on 2011's Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. It originally appeared on the 2009 Buckwheat Zydeco album Lay Your Burden Down.
Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. died on September 24, 2016, at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. Dural, who had lung cancer, was 68.
Walkin' To New Orleans
Buckwheat Zydeco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I'm gonna need two pair of shoes
When I git tho' walkin' me blue
When I get back to New Orleans
I've got my suitcase in my hand
Now ain't that a shame
I'm leavin' here today
Yes, I'm walkin to New Orleans
You used to be my honey
Till you spent all my money
No use for you to cry
I'll see you by and by
'Cause I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I've got no time for talkin'
I've go to keep a walkin'
New Orleans is my home
That's the reason that I'm goin'
Yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I'm walkin' to New Orleans
In Buckwheat's song "Walkin' to New Orleans," the lyrics are focused on a man's journey back to his hometown of New Orleans. The song starts with the singer expressing his intention to walk all the way to New Orleans, which is a distance of over 1,000 miles depending on where he is starting from. He acknowledges that this walk will take a toll on his shoes and even mentions that he may get "walkin' blues" due to the long journey.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about leaving someone behind who used to be his "honey" until she spent all his money. He expresses that he has no use for her tears and that he will see her again someday. Despite any setbacks, the singer is determined to make it back to New Orleans, the place he calls home.
Overall, the song has an upbeat tempo and the lyrics capture the singer's unwavering determination to make it back to his roots. It conveys a sense of hope and resilience in the face of challenges and obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
This time I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I am choosing to travel by foot to New Orleans
I'm walkin' to New Orleans
I am determined to arrive in New Orleans on foot
I'm gonna need two pair of shoes
I will require multiple pairs of shoes to complete this journey
When I git tho' walkin' me blue
When I become exhausted from walking
When I get back to New Orleans
Upon arrival in New Orleans
I've got my suitcase in my hand
I am carrying my personal belongings with me as I walk
Now ain't that a shame
It's unfortunate that I have to leave this place
I'm leavin' here today
I am departing from this location today
Yes, I'm goin' back home to stay
I am returning home for an extended period of time
Yes, I'm walkin to New Orleans
As I have stated before, I am trekking to New Orleans
You used to be my honey
We used to have a romantic relationship
Till you spent all my money
Until you squandered all of my funds
No use for you to cry
There is no reason for you to shed tears
I'll see you by and by
I will see you again in the future
'Cause I'm walkin' to New Orleans
As previously mentioned, I am traveling to New Orleans on foot
I've got no time for talkin'
I am too preoccupied with walking to engage in conversation
I've go to keep a walkin'
I must continue to walk to reach my destination
New Orleans is my home
New Orleans is the place where I feel most comfortable
That's the reason that I'm goin'
That is my motivation for making this journey
Yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans
Once again, I am travelling toward New Orleans on foot
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Antoine Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Robert Charles Guidry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Evan Benjamin
Thank you Bucks for this wonderful music . Awesome ❤
Mountain _597
One of the greatest musicians that came from Louisiana real talk ..This man was beyond just zydeco music he actually could play R&B , blues pop , I saw him make an origin jump ... and I’m not playing ....He kept the real zydeco culture alive because he always kept the culture alive by speaking in creole French he was always making sure people knew their language
Louisiana news and more
And a very good friend of mine
Patience Harris
Wow. Love this version. I would have loved to hear him playing in person.
Barbara Williams
He was always a great performer and such a nice person!
gleek0707
Beautiful!! Only Buckwheat can do it like that!!
OG-GREEN MACHINE
What a maestro.
Dream of having that command on my accordion.
peakfiddler
Another classic song given that magic Buck touch. Excellent musicians in the band as well. Thanks for sharing.
Mizz Mead
Been subscribed for long time. This song means a lot to me Ty
Russell Solomon
The best part was when they started speaking French at the end of the video! C’est Bon!